Lunch at Cafe Oriental @ Amara Hotel

165 Tanjong Pagar Road #1F, Amara Hotel, Singapore 088539

Tel: 6879 2555

Website: http://singapore.amarahotels.com/cafe-oriental

I was in the mood for Chinese / local food for lunch, hence Cafe Oriental was the selected venue. It was done in strong replicate of vintage Chinese coffeeshops in the past , complete with marble-topped round tables and wooden chairs. It looked promising in its theme, and we were looking to the food here.

See, a close up shot of the marble-topped table and settings of chopsticks, potpurri etc. We browsed the menu to choose our food from a long list of Chinese / Straits cuisines.

I started with a Hot Ginger Milk Tea (SGD$5.50) , also known as "Teh Halia" in Melayu. It was a lovely ginger-infused milk tea - rich, smooth and warm without being overtly spicy.

*Will started with a Malay Chicken Rice (SGD$18.00) served prettily on a tray with a small bowl of soup, roasted chicken, preserved vegetables and chilli on the side. The chicken meat was rather tender and the rice had hints of traditional chicken rice fragrance, but other than that, *Will found it to be a rather average dish.

I had the Seafood Hor Fun (SGD$18.00) - Chinese rice pasta tossed in supposed superior broth and loads of seafood - giant prawns, squids, cod fish and some vegetables. While I appreciated the smoothness of the horfun and the generous portions of seafood, I was disappointed to note that even with these ingredients, the dish was bland. There was no hints of sweetness or flavor, it was nearly tasteless so I concentrated on finishing my seafood and vegetables mostly.

Service was average as well, nothing spectacular for a restaurant serving Chinese dishes that probably tasted better at stalls at a fraction of the price here.